Patio heater with directional control

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a patio heater that has the capability of heating an area in a desired direction rather than heating all areas in all directions radially from the patio heater. The disclosed patio heater has a heat source that sits upon an elongated support member that spaces the heat source vertically away from ground level to protect the user from accidentally coming too close to the heat source. The heat source is enclosed in a receptacle having one or a plurality of side walls that extend above the heat source to form a heat exhaust opening directed generally upward. The heat generated by the heat source is reflected in a desired direction by a heat reflector located above the heat exhaust opening and supportively connected to the receptacle. A directional control mechanism is provided for angling the heat reflector relative to the heat exhaust opening and, thus, reflecting the heat in the desired direction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

There are no related applications.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for heating an outdoorarea, such as a patio, and more particularly, to an apparatus designedto permit the warming of a selected area in a chosen radial directiondistal from the apparatus.

BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Patio heaters have traditionally been sold to restaurants and bars inorder to extend the usefulness of outdoor spaces such as decks andpatios when the weather is cold. Recently, such heaters have also beensold to individuals for personal use on decks or in back yard spaces forthe same purpose. These types of heaters usually comprise a base wherethe fuel source is located and a support member extending upward fromthe base in order to raise the heat generation mechanism to a heightwhere it does not pose a danger to persons walking under it or in thesame area. Having an elevated heat source also provides for moreflexibility in using the space to be heated because there are no areasthat are unsafe or uncomfortable whereas a heat source that is notelevated would necessitate a that a certain safety radius be maintained,thus taking up valuable space. These patio heaters are usually fuelledby liquefied petroleum (LP) gases so that they do not need to remain ina fixed location in order to operate in a beneficial way. The mobilityoffered by an easily transportable fuel source also offers flexibilityin floor plans and outdoor activities.

One shortcoming of presently available free-standing heaters is thatthey must be centrally placed in the area to be heated in order tomaximize the efficiency of the heat distribution and, accordingly, fuelconsumption. Because they provide heat in a circular area having apre-determined radius from the central point where the heat generationoccurs, many existing heaters cannot be efficiently placed on theperiphery of the seating area in a restaurant setting, for example,because they will waste energy and fuel by heating areas that do notgenerate income or are not being used. In a home setting, it may not besafe for children to have the heating device in the center of a patiowhere it could easily be knocked over.

It is known in the art to make one directional heaters or heaters thatheat a specified arc while rotating back and forth, these types ofheaters are usually powered by electricity and generate radiant heat andare thus limited to a certain location on the periphery of an area to beheated unless potentially dangerous extension cords are used. It theseheaters were placed in the middle of an area to be heated, they sufferfrom the drawback that they are not raised above the floor and thus alsocreate a burning hazard. Further, they do not have the capability ofheating 360 degrees around the heat source, but rather must be pointedin a pre-selected direction and rotated periodically and are thus notsuited for heating an area from the center of that area.

Accordingly, for the reasons set forth herein and for others as may bereasonably apparent to those skilled in the art, there is a need for aportable free-standing heater that can safely project heat eitherradially or in a chosen direction depending on the needs of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a patio heater is providedwhich is improved in its economical use and distance and direction ofheat projection in a desired direction over prior commercially availablepatio heaters. The concave heat reflector is capable of being angledrelative to the heat exhaust opening, which is horizontal. Altering thisangle permits heated gases and air to be redirected in a desireddirection with increased distance capability. This improvement has thebenefits of extending and focusing the reach of the heat generated bythe heat source contained within the patio heater and, consequently,improving the efficiency of the patio heater. Of course, should the userwish, the patio heater of the instant invention can also be used in thetraditional 360 degree heating mode. The heater of the instant inventioncan be placed either near a wall or in the center of a space to beheated and can still deliver maximum efficiency.

Of course, other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention will become more apparent upon reading of the followingnon-restrictive description of preferred embodiments hereof, given byway of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a patio heater in accordance with thepresent invention showing a concave reflector raised to a 45 degreeangle relative to the heat exhaust opening in order to direct heat in adesired direction, and an elongated control rod engaged with the concavereflector to enable angle adjustment.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the patio heater of FIG. 1 showing theconcave reflector in a lowered position parallel to the heat exhaustopening in order to spread heat uniformly around the patio heater.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of an upper portion of a patioheater in accordance with the instant invention with the concavereflector in a lowered position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of an upper portion of a patioheater in accordance with the instant invention with the concavereflector in a raised position.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the heat distribution of prior existing patioheaters.

FIG. 6 is a view, similar to FIG. 6, showing the heat distribution ofthe patio heater in accordance with the instant invention with theconcave reflector in a first raised position.

FIG. 7 is a view, similar to FIGS. 5 and 6, showing the heatdistribution of the patio heater in accordance with the instantinvention with the concave reflector in a second raised position.

FIG. 8 is a view, similar to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, showing the heatdistribution of the patio heater in accordance with the instantinvention with the concave reflector in a fully raised position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of thepatio heater 2 of the instant invention, comprising an elongated supportmember 10 with an upper end 12. The upper end 12 supports the heatsource 14, which heat can be generated by combustion, resistance or someother means as the circumstance or need may require.

In a first embodiment, fuel such as LP gas or propane is stored in theenclosure 16 at the base of the elongated support member 10. Theelongated support member 10 is preferably hollow in order to permit thefuel to safely travel from the enclosure 16 to the heat source 14, wherecombustion or other heat generation activity can occur. The shownembodiment also contains a clasp 8 that can be opened to access the LPgas or propane. Further, a set of wheels 6 are included for ease ofmovement and increased flexibility in floor-planning.

Once heat is generated in the heat source 14, it is directed upward bythe side wall 18 of the exhaust receptacle 20, where it comes intocontact with and is redirected by the heat reflector 22. As demonstratedin this FIG. 1, the heat reflector 22 can be tilted to an approximate 45degree angle relative to the heat exhaust opening 24 in order to directthe heat radiating off the heat reflector 22 in a desired direction 26.While the preferred embodiment of the heat reflector 22 in the instantinvention is concave in shape to assist in collecting and directingheat, other configurations such as frustoconical or flat are possible asmay be required for a particular application.

In this embodiment, the position of the heat reflector 22 is altered bymoving the elongated control rod 28 in a vertical direction. Theelongated control rod 28 is engaged with the heat reflector 22 at aslidable connector 32 in such a way that moving the elongated controlrod 28 in a vertical direction causes the heat reflector 22 to rotateabout a rotatable connector 30, said rotation occurring solely about ahorizontal axis. The slidable connector 32 performs a function that maybe performed by any number of different embodiments as those skilled inthe art will recognize. To state it another way, the point of engagementbetween the elongated control rod 28 and the heat reflector 22 must bemobile, in this embodiment to permit travel when the angle of the heatreflector 22 in relation to the heat exhaust opening 24 is altered.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the patio heater 2 of the instant invention isshown with the heat reflector 22 in a fully horizontal position fullyparallel to the heat exhaust opening 24. Positioning the heat reflector22 parallel to the heat exhaust opening 24 results in the heat generatedby the heat source 14 being evenly distributed radially about the patioheater 2 as with existing art. In this embodiment, alteration of theposition of the heat reflector 22 is accomplished by adjusting theelongated control rod 28 vertically. In the present embodiment, theelongated control rod 28 is kept in place through the use of one or aplurality of steps 40 cut into the elongated control rod at intervals.Each step engages a positioning ring 42 to enable the heat reflector 22to be positioned at any desired angle relative to the heat exhaustopening 24.

In FIG. 3-4, the movement of the heat reflector 22 via the movement ofthe elongated control rod 28 is demonstrated in an isolated view.

In FIG. 5-8, the pattern of heat distribution 50 is shown as changingwith the tilting of the heat reflector 22.

While the present invention is intended to increase the versatility andsafety of outdoor patio heating, other uses will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. It will be understood that the above description ofthe present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changesand adaptations, and that the same are intended to be comprehendedwithin the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

1. A patio heater with directional heat control comprising: a heatsource; an elongated support member for spacing the heat sourcevertically away from ground level, said elongated support member havingan upper end; a receptacle that houses the heat source attached to theupper end of the elongated support member; said receptacle having one ora plurality of side walls that extend above the heat source to form aheat exhaust opening directed generally upward; a heat reflector locatedabove the heat exhaust opening for reflecting heat generated by the heatsource in a desired direction; said heat reflector being supportivelyconnected to the receptacle; and a directional control mechanism forangling the heat reflector relative to the heat exhaust opening toreflect the heat in said desired direction.
 2. The patio heater of claim1, wherein the directional control mechanism comprises: a rotatableconnector attached to both the heat reflector and to one of the sidewalls of the receptacle to enable the heat reflector to be rotatedrelative to the receptacle; an elongated control rod positioned toengage the heat reflector whereby vertical movement of the elongatedcontrol rod causes the heat reflector to rotate about the rotatableconnector such that heat is reflected in the desired direction.
 3. Thepatio heater of claim 2, wherein the elongated rod further comprises anadjustment means for tilting the heat reflector to one or a plurality ofpredetermined angles relative to the heat exhaust opening.
 4. The patioheater of claim 3, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a guidemechanism attached to the elongated support member; said guide mechanismbeing designed to slidably receive a lower portion of the elongated rod;said lower portion having an elevation lock means for temporarilylocking the elongated rod at one of a plurality of predeterminedelevations.
 5. The patio heater of claim 1, wherein the directionalcontrol mechanism comprises an actuator connected to the heat reflectorand the receptacle in order to adjust that angle of the heat reflectorrelative to the receptacle.
 6. The patio heater of claim 5, wherein theactuator is motorized.
 7. A patio heater with directional heat controlcomprising: an elongated support member for spacing a heat sourcevertically away from ground level, said support member having an upperend; a receptacle that houses a heat source; said receptacle having aheat exhaust opening directed generally upward; a heat reflectorpositioned directly above the heat exhaust opening for reflecting heatgenerated by the heat source in a desired direction; said heat reflectorbeing attached to an upper outer edge of the receptacle by a rotatableconnector; said rotatable connector being rotatable about a horizontalaxis; a directional control rod having an upper end and a lower end;said upper end connected to the heat reflector to enable rotation of theheat reflector about the horizontal axis; said lower end havingadjustment means for fixing the directional control rod at one or aplurality of vertical positions relative to the elongated supportmember.